Lazar Tejić, Bojan Kovačević, Ivan Nikčević, and Dušan Kokoruš were convicted today by a first-instance verdict in the Higher Court in Belgrade for the aggravated murder in complicity of Bojan Mirković on November 12, 2020, in the Belville neighborhood of Belgrade. As the judicial council stated, they are guilty of killing him in a treacherous manner. Tejić was sentenced to 18 years in prison for aggravated murder and three and a half years for illegal possession of weapons, resulting in a cumulative sentence of 20 years in prison.
Ivan Nikčević was sentenced to ten years, while Kokoruš and Kovačević were sentenced to nine years each for complicity in this criminal act. Tejić’s detention was extended until the final verdict and the start of serving the sentence, while the court lifted the house arrest for Kokoruš and Kovačević. However, the four years they spent in both regular and house arrest will be included in their sentence, while Nikčević’s two years, which were spent in detention and later lifted by the Appeals Court, will also be taken into account.
Judge Stojan Petrović stated that the council determined that they undoubtedly committed the criminal act, took actions as stated in the indictment, and it is undisputed that Tejić shot Mirković, with the assistance and substantial contribution of the other three. The court did not accept the defense’s claim that it was possibly a case of ordinary murder.
In conclusion, the first-instance verdict in the Higher Court in Belgrade found Lazar Tejić, Bojan Kovačević, Ivan Nikčević, and Dušan Kokoruš guilty of aggravated murder in complicity of Bojan Mirković, with Tejić receiving a cumulative sentence of 20 years in prison, Nikčević sentenced to ten years, and Kokoruš and Kovačević each receiving nine years for their involvement in the criminal act. The court extended Tejić’s detention until the final verdict, while the house arrest was lifted for Kokoruš and Kovačević, with their time spent in detention taken into account in their sentence. The judge emphasized that the council determined the guilt of the defendants beyond any doubt and rejected the defense’s claim of ordinary murder.
